A chef was yesterday sentenced to four years in jail and fined $1.8 million after admitting that he swallowed 89 pellets filled with cocaine and tried to smuggle the drugs out of the country.

Hosania Moses, 34, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking when it was read to him by Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman in Georgetown.

It is alleged that between November 14th and November 16th, 2018, Moses had in his possession 888 grammes of cocaine with the intention of trafficking.

According to the Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore, on November 13th, 2018, ranks from the Police Narcotics Branch went to Moses, who was a passenger of Suriname Airways at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri. They then searched Moses and his bags but found nothing. After being questioned, he admitted to the police that he had swallowed the cocaine pellets.

Moses was then taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where an x-ray confirmed the presence of objects that appeared to be cocaine pellets in his stomach.

Moses later admitted in a caution statement that he was the owner of the drugs.

When asked what he was thinking, Moses, who is the father of a nine-month old, told the court that it was his negligence that was to blame for his situation. “I’m sorry,” he said, before he was sentenced to four years and fined.